


Invisible String

by dancekatrina13



Series: and that's the way i loved you [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Daily Prophet, F/M, Harry Potter Next Generation, Journalism, Professional Quidditch, Some angst but mostly fluff, a story about learning how to move on and how it can be a slow process, black coffee slander!, figuring it out, future warning for possible mentions of sexual assault so please be warned, honestly this is just self projection at this point, its all about the timing!!!, london fogs, self love, super slow burn, two people who were kinda friends reconnecting again
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26575327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancekatrina13/pseuds/dancekatrina13
Summary: 2 years. 730 days. 17520 hours.A lot can change in that time.James Potter II / OC~*~*~or the one with easy banter, a bad habit of drinking coffee too late at night and a girl learning how to love and trust herself again.
Relationships: Albus Severus Potter/Original Female Character(s), James Sirius Potter/Original Character(s), Scorpius Malfoy/Rose Weasley, Teddy Lupin/Victoire Weasley
Series: and that's the way i loved you [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1970533
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	1. one

August 20, 2024

~*~*~

Life often has a funny way of working.

If you had asked her two years ago, Stella Jiying Wong would’ve said that she would be a Journalist with the Daily Prophet (who have since gained more notoriety and a better reputation than before). She thought she would maybe find a dance studio and take some classes, not good enough or persistent enough to go professional but still wanting to keep in touch with her love for the art. 

And here she is, two years later, five months into her internship with the Daily Prophet, but probably never able to dance as well as she could two years ago. She’s still trying to figure out exactly where she fits into this job, and figuring it out as she goes. But even with all the stresses, it’s extremely rewarding. And she’s got a knack for storytelling with her writing, as the Prophet offered her an internship position before she even graduated. She started going to the Prophet Headquarters on the weekends when she was still attending school at Hogwarts. Grateful doesn’t even begin to encompass how she feels. 

If you had asked him two years ago, James Sirius Potter would’ve said that he most likely would be an Auror or something similar, and maybe, if odds were in his favor, he’d be able to be a professional Quidditch player. Watching his older cousin Molly take the Quidditch world by storm made him realize that he would have to be prepared for a backup plan. She was always destined for things beyond Hogwarts Quidditch, and he didn’t think the same about himself.

But here he is, two years later, fresh off graduation and a chaser on the Puddlemere Quidditch team, the second ever person to go pro straight after graduation, the first being Molly. Go figure. He’s still a bit in shock, and he’s starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, he is just as talented as his cousin.

Life is funny in the way that it can bring people back together. Especially two people who never thought they would cross paths again, though others would say that given their careers, they should’ve known better. 

Stella and James have known each other since their first year at Hogwarts, because although Stella was in Hufflepuff and James was in Gryffindor, they would occasionally cross paths in class or through mutual friends (Hogwarts houses aren’t as divided as they used to be). But it wasn’t till their fifth year where they started actually getting to know each other outside of the polite formalities. They somehow got put in four classes together and became reluctant acquaintances. Then reluctant friends. Then not-so-reluctant friends. At one point, they were partners for almost every project or assignment, so they were somewhat forced to get along so that their days wouldn’t feel as long. 

Overtime, Stella began to have a crush on James, which she internally cursed herself for. Everyone had a small crush on him, and she had gone four years without understanding that feeling. But her crush grew and grew till it got to the point where he had to have noticed. He had to have. But she wasn’t brave, and he was a teenage boy who liked the attention. So on they went being just friends who only spoke in passing.

Stella grew to learn that James is decently intelligent, actually caring and annoyingly witty, and James grew to learn that Stella is unbelievably kind, surprisingly funny and incredibly insightful. But the school year ended, and they had no obligation to talk as much anymore. James ended up having some sort of thing with one of Stella’s close friends, and Stella ended up getting into a serious relationship at the start of their sixth year. Whatever history they had between them (which arguably, was none?) wasn’t relevant anymore, and they both learned to accept that they would probably never cross paths again. 

Life is funny. 

~*~*~

“You sure you don’t want me there with you?”

Stella rolls her eyes, “Yes, Mom. It’ll be fine. It’s just an interview.”

Cara, who is not her mother but might as well be, raises an eyebrow, “It’s just your first big feature and I want to make sure you got this.”

“I know,” Stella stands up, hiking her tote bag up on her shoulder. “But I also know that you have a shit ton of other stuff you’d rather be doing than accompany me on an interview with an athlete.”

Cara snorts, “You got that right, kid.” She has more than a dozen articles that she needs to edit by the end of the work day. Perks of being a senior editor at the Daily Prophet. “I’ll see you after lunch. And tell James I said hi.”

Right. Stella almost forgot that Cara Visser is married to Seamus Finnegan, who is family friends with the Potters. Every wizard in this damn country seems to have some sort of connection with each other. 

When Stella was told last week that she was going to write a feature on Britain’s newest Quidditch talent, she could only blink. Deep down she always knew that they would cross paths again, maybe at a wedding of a mutual friend or a Hogwarts reunion.

She just didn’t think it would be two months after graduation.

Meanwhile, James has a day off, and he would ideally love to spend the morning relaxing after his daily jog, but he actually has somewhat of a schedule . He has an interview for the Daily Prophet.

And Stella Wong is interviewing him. 

Nothing fazes James Potter much, but having coffee with his former classmate just might. 

It had been pretty big news in their year when Stella had landed a part-time internship before graduation. It wasn’t necessarily a surprise, since everyone knew she was a talented writer, but any other normal person would’ve talked a lot about it as they were ahead of most of their year, but Stella did the exact opposite. She didn’t talk about her internship and always directed the conversation to something else, because Stella didn’t see this situation as getting ahead. She saw it as pure luck.

Others, James included, would say otherwise. Stella creates literal magic with her quill. And he feels quite honored that his first Player Spotlight for the Daily Prophet will be conducted by her.

As he tosses on a white t-shirt and gives up on styling his damp hair, he grabs his wallet and wand, apparating himself to Petals Coffee & Florist, a place a bit farther from him but closer to the Prophet Headquarters. He’s a bit early, but he wants to get his surroundings before having to see her again. 

He’s not quite sure why he feels so nervous. It’s not like anything awkward ever happened between them and all their conversations have always been civil. 

Or, more accurately and if James would actually be honest with himself, it’s because they do have some sort of history. It’s not romantic or rival-like. It’s just...friendship. 

But it’s something. Or nothing?

As Stella is shoving the last of her contents in her bag and making sure she has all the notes and materials she needs, James is ordering a black coffee for himself and hastily orders a London Fog for Stella. It’s quite possible her drink of choice has changed from their Hogwarts days, but he shoves that thought aside.

Though this isn’t a date. 

Nothing like that at all. James is 99% sure that she’s still dating one of his old teammates from Hogwarts. That is something that he’s always wanted to know about, because how the fuck did she manage to date someone who literally refused any and all female attention? Though, if anyone could ground him, it was Stella. 

It’s just an interview. He chants to himself as he pays and grabs their drinks, choosing a table toward the back of the cafe.

Stella is chanting the same thing to herself as she walks out of the Prophet Headquarters on her 5 minute walk to Petals, hand clutching her tote bag as if her life depends on it. When he had suggested they meet at her go-to coffee shop, she was taken aback. She knows that he lives in Dorset, the town where Puddlemere United practices. She was prepared to have to floo or apparate, but he suggested somewhere smack in the middle of London. 

Though she shouldn’t be too surprised. He has always been more considerate than most other males she’s encountered. 

She pushes open the door and folds her sunglasses, placing them in her bag. She’s just early enough that she won’t have to sit waiting for a long time, but will have time to order her drink and get settled. Though that plan dissipates when she scans the cafe and sees James in the back, with two drinks in front of him as he stares straight ahead. 

Huh. She can’t remember one time when James was ever on time. 

His head whips up as the chair across from him scrapes along the floor. He straightens up, “Hey.”

“Hi,” she responds pleasantly, sitting down and placing her tote bag on the windowsill. “I’m sorry if I’ve kept you waiting.”

He waves her off, “No worries. I got here early.” Her eyes drift to the London Fog and he clears his throat, “I’m not sure if your drink preference has changed; hopefully it hasn’t. If it has, I can order something else-”

“It hasn’t changed,” Stella cuts in, a smile on her face. “Thank you. You didn’t have to.” She can’t help but snicker as she looks at what he’s drinking, “Still on the black coffee kick? That shit’s nasty, you know. ”

James barks in laughter, “Guess Rose forcing it down during exam seasons turned into me actually drinking it regularly.”

“No one forced you to drink anything. You’re just a sadist.” They both chuckle at the memory of Stella walking into the kitchens one night during their fifth year to grab a plate of fruit just as James was walking out, holding a steaming cup of hot coffee. Stella had started going off about how disgusting plain black coffee was and if you’re gonna get black coffee, at least get it iced! James had only blinked, thinking that it was way too late for this shit and that if he didn’t finish his Charms essay he wasn’t going to hear the end of it from Rose.

“It’s good to see you again.” He briefly takes note of how her maroon blouse accentuates her brown eyes in this lighting. But very briefly.

Stella nods, looking down at her cup. “Yeah, it really is.” She blinks a couple of times before remembering why she’s here and grabs her notebook, quill and recorder out of her bag. “Uh, can I record you? No one else will hear it but me and it’s really just for quotes and in case I miss anything.”

James nods, shifting into professional mode. “Yeah, of course. Anything you need.”

Stella lets out a deep breath, turning on her recorder, “So, I know you’ve probably done this a bunch before, but if you feel uncomfortable answering anything, just let me know and we will move on.”

James raises an eyebrow teasingly, “What are you planning on asking me that could be so daunting?”

She chuckles, “It’s part of my job to put it out there. Hopefully we won’t get to that point though.”

And then Stella starts, starting with the obvious questions like what inspires him to play Quidditch and why Puddlemere. But soon after, she starts shifting to questions like his family and his relationships with them. A perk of being former classmates is that she knows a good bit about him, and she knows how important family is to him. That’s the angle she chose to take when she was assigned to this piece, and she was hoping that having a familiar interviewer would encourage James to open up a bit. 

And it works. With some prodding, Stella just lets James gush on and on about how he’s looked up to Molly his whole life, and now that she may be unable to play Quidditch again, it hurts him more than he likes to let on. He talks about how although he’s the oldest sibling, he looks up tremendously to Al, who is about to start his 7th year and has his sights set on being a lawyer, and Lily, who is about to enter 5th year and is the spunkiest girl James has ever known. He talks about family friends, particularly Jasmine Longbottom and (surprise, surprise) Aoife Finnegan, who is now one of his teammates on Puddlemere, and how growing up with those two specifically has grounded him. He talks about how he loves to watch Lucy dance and how all the photographs in his flat are taken by Louis. He talks about how Fred is the funniest person he’s ever met and how he loves that Rose keeps him in check.

He talks about everyone but himself. Stella can work with that.

“Well,” Stella pauses some minutes later, scribbling some last notes in her notebook. “That’s all I got for you. Unless there’s anything else you’d like to add.”

James rests his hands on his coffee mug, “You got everything you need?”

She nods, satisfied. “From you, I do. I’ll follow up in case I need anything else.”

“Who else do you need to talk to?”

She clicks her tongue, taking a sip of her London Fog. “Your coach, possibly one of your teammates, and maybe a member of your family. Anyone in particular you suggest?”

“I usually would suggest Molly, but she’s...unavailable at the moment.” Makes sense, considering what she’s been through the last couple of months. James’s eyes cast down briefly in sadness, but it leaves as fast as it came. “Ted might be a good one, if you can catch him on the weekends. But honestly, I’m sure any of them will give embarrassing stories of me. And as for a teammate, maybe Aoife? Or Grace if you want someone who has only met me recently. Anthony might be a good one too. ”

Stella blinks. She wants to avoid talking to Grace Fischer if she can help it. The German Chaser has a reputation of being intimidating.

James must see the hesitance on her face, and chuckles. “She’s not as scary as she seems.”

“Easy for you to say,” Stella scoffs. “You have a way of making everyone like you.”

His eyebrow shoots up on his forehead, and Stella has to admit that, for some reason, it’s attractive. Why is that attractive? “Me? I could say the same about you.”

She delicately places her notebook and recorder back in her bag, before setting her elbows on the table, head tilted in question. “What do you mean?”

He leans back in his chair, “Everyone liked you, Stella. I never heard a bad word about you throughout our 7 years.”

“Really?” She narrows her eyes, suspicious.

“Well,” He backtracks. “Except one time I heard Sullivan claim that you were too loud, but if you ask me, it’s just because she doesn’t know what it means to have a personality.”

She laughs. It’s reassuring to know that James was smart enough to distinguish between someone’s attractiveness and personality. It’s not commendable; everybody should be able to do that, but teenage boys and their dicks are often a stupid combination. Britney Sullivan may have been the most gorgeous person in their year, but she had a personality that was blander than white bread. And that’s coming from Stella, who tries so hard to see the good in everyone. 

“Congratulations. On everything,” Stella smiles. “I always knew you could do it.”

He snorts in skepticism, “Really?”

“Of course,” She replies, a genuine sparkle in her eye. “You just lacked the confidence, which is shocking, considering you’re a Gryffindor and everyone in that house has some arrogance in their blood.”

“Speaking of arrogance, how is my old teammate?” He drums his fingers on the table. “Treating you well?”

Stella’s good mood drops, and James notices immediately, but stays silent. She clears her throat, “Actually, Sean and I broke up a week after graduation.”

He blinks. He didn’t see that one coming. He had just seen them kissing at graduation and things seemed to be going well on the outside. “Oh, shit, Stella. I’m so sorry.”

She shakes her head, trying to smile. “Don’t be. Please. It’s not your fault.”

“How are you doing? Are you okay?”

Stella keeps her focus on her hands, clutching her cup with an unnecessary strong grip. “I’ll be fine. But we’re not talking about this right now.”

He nods, “Of course.” He sets his hands down on the table and leans towards Stella. “If you ever wanna talk though, I’m here.”

She snorts, all thoughts of her breakup leaving her mind. “Really?”

He smiles, though less steady than her gleaming one. “What?”

“You really mean that?” She shakes her head with a smile. “James, we’re barely even friends.”

He gasps, faking indignation. “Even after all those conversations in class during 5th year? After all those times I stole your snacks to the point where you would just give them to me when I walked in?” He downs the last of his coffee, teasing glint in his eye gone. “And yes, I do mean it. I know you have Astrid and Cappelli and numerous others who you would probably go to before me, but you have my number if you ever want to rant.”

She can’t help but snort, “Cappelli? Surely you two are on a first name basis now.”

James scratches the back of his neck at the mention of the girl he somewhat had a thing with. “You know about that?”

Stella gives him an incredulous look. Like she wouldn’t know how Eliana Cappelli, one of her close friends, has hooked up with James Potter numerous times. “Of course I know, idiot. But anyways, you never liked Sean, so would me talking to you really be effective?”

He sputters, “T-that’s not true.” Stella stops him with a look and he sighs in defeat. “Okay, he might not have been my favorite person, but obviously he’s decent enough for someone like you to date him. I can promise you I’m always here to lend an ear.”

“I’d watch your words. I just might take you up on that offer one day.”

He grins and Stella hates that it’s actually kind of charming. “It would be my pleasure. Brings me right back to our OWL studying sessions.”

“Not much studying got done during some of those sessions, if I remember correctly.” Stella’s professionalism filter is starting to drop, because it’s just so easy falling back into their banter again. Then again, as she thinks back to what she just said, maybe having a filter would be beneficial in this instance.

He wiggles his eyebrows, “Oh how I’ve missed you not thinking before you speak.” 

She rolls her eyes, “You know what I meant.”

“How could I forget? My favorite one has to be the one where we both had forgotten about that DADA essay and somehow ended up in the library till like 2 a.m.”

Stella cackles, remembering that night. “Yeah, and you were too hyped up on black coffee and I had mistakenly slept that whole day, so we went outside and looked at the stars instead of sleeping.”

James smirks, the boyish demeanor suddenly rushing back. “When you put it that way, it sounds like it was a date.”

“Sure, if you think a date is two stressed out sleep deprived teenagers losing their minds together.”

James smiles as he tilts his head to the side, really observing the girl in front of him, who just has her eyebrows raised, waiting for a response. It’s so interesting how they both have grown so much since fifth year, but have both easily slipped back into the easygoing conversation that, truthfully, kept him sane throughout all the stressful exams. 

Before he can come up with a witty response, Stella looks at a clock on the wall and curses. “Shit, I gotta get back to work. I really need to buy a watch or something.”  
James snorts, “Damn right you do. You always lose track of time.” He slides his chair back as she grabs her bag and hikes it up her shoulder. Before she gets up, he places a hand over hers, causing her to snap her head towards him with a questioning look. “I’m really glad you’re the one writing a piece about me. I’m not really a fan of the press, which I’m sure you know. But if anyone is going to be writing this, I’m glad it’s someone I trust.”

Stella tears her eyes away from their hands to his eyes, “You shouldn’t trust me so much. Maybe I’ll write a piece revealing all your secrets and say you’re the worst Potter to exist.”

“Wouldn’t be the worst thing the papers have said about me,” He grins smugly. “Besides, you like me too much to fuck up my reputation that badly.”

She lets out a chuckle before standing up, “I’ll see you around, James.”

He nods, “I’ll see you.” And he stays still as he watches Stella walk through the door and out onto the busy London streets again. There’s at least one thing about Stella that hasn’t changed in the past two years.

She always leaves an imprint on the mind of whoever she talks to.


	2. two

August 31, 2024

~*~*~

Honestly, this is the last place where an interview should take place. 

Tellstone Star, while pretty classy and not overly fancy, is still a bar. There’s the sounds of glasses clinking, people yelling and loud music. Not necessarily ingredients for a great interview space.

But Stella’s interviewee refused to talk elsewhere. So she sucked it up and agreed to meet him in arguably London’s busiest, even on a Sunday night. He was the last person she needed for this article, and she couldn’t afford to find someone else. 

She gets all the information she needs, and the guy walks out of the door, more than tipsy. Stella momentarily prays that he doesn’t splinch himself, but honestly, with all the sass and attitude he gave her during the interview, maybe it would teach him a lesson or two on being a civil person. 

As she’s about to exit the bar herself, someone at the bar counter backs up, softly crashing into her side. 

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there.”

And for the second time in two weeks, Stella comes to face to face with a Potter. Except this time, it’s one with green eyes, not hazel. How does she happen to run into them both within two weeks? She’s not even sure this happened when they were living in the same building. 

“Stella Wong?”

She blinks, “Albus Potter?”

A wide grin spreads across his face. “It’s so good to see you again.”

She can’t help reciprocate his grin, “It’s good to see you too, Al.”

That’s the thing with the Potter boys, Stella has learned throughout the years, and arguably, that family as a whole (though there are many of them she hasn’t met). If she bumped into any other person and they said that it was good to see her, it would just be a mere formality. But with Al and James, you can tell they genuinely mean it. 

And Stella means it too. Al may be a year younger than her, but with the few times they cross paths, she’s always taken a liking to him. She even found herself helping him with a Charms essay once in her 6th year when they shared a table in the crowded library. The thing is, one can’t help but like Al Potter. He’s just so damn kind that sometimes Stella wonders how he wasn’t placed in Hufflepuff. Then she sees his smirks when he’s around his family and then understands why he followed his brother into Gryffindor.

He gestures over to the other side of the bar, “I was just grabbing a couple of drinks for the crew. Would you like to join us?” Her eyes follow his hand and she sees Rose Weasley with a disgusted look on her face while James and Jasmine Longbottom are laughing, with Louis Weasley leaning back with a giant grin on his face and Dominique Weasley slapping his arm. This is clearly a family outing. Jasmine may not have the renowned last name, but it is well known that she is family all the same.

She shakes her head, “Oh, no. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Unless you have somewhere else to be, we would love for you to join us.” Stella raises an eyebrow, because he’s only speaking for himself, but as she glances at the table again, she sees James smile and wave at her. Dom, who is confused about who her cousin is waving to, turns around in her booth and nods, gesturing with her head to come sit down. 

Stella had plans of going home and doing...nothing. She doesn’t particularly like bars, and doesn’t drink often, but she just had a hard interview, and she should probably actually spend time with people outside of work. And to be quite honest, she could use a drink. So with that she says,

“Sure. But if only I’m not intruding.”

“Never,” he insists. “I’m getting this round. What would you like?”

“A cosmopolitan, if you wouldn’t mind.” Stella’s always preferred Muggle cocktails to magical ones. 

Al chuckles, “Fruity. Of course.”

She narrows her eyes playfully, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He smiles innocently, “Sweet and fresh, just like you!” Stella snorts at his quick cover-up, and the bartender comes back with a bunch of drinks, presumably for the group of people she’s about to go to. Al talks to the bartender one more time quickly to order Stella’s Cosmopolitan and slips a couple more galleons for the hassle.

Stella looks at all the drinks that have been put on the counter, “This is all for you lot?”

Al blinks, unbothered. “You were at most of the parties back at Hogwarts. You should know that James and Louis could drink probably 90% of Star’s supply. And Jaz, though she may look tiny, can hold her liquor decently well too.”

“Doesn’t the school year start tomorrow? Do you really want to be hungover on your first day?”

“Interesting,” Al smirks, avoiding the questions. “I don’t remember you being this snarky.”

He can blame that on her breakup, Stella briefly thinks to herself bitterly. But she quickly shoves that thought away. None of that tonight. 

She flashes an extra-wide grin, “Hufflepuffs aren’t just nice and lovely all the time. Remember that if you’re planning on hanging out around me for the rest of the night.”

Al’s eyes crinkle in laughter, “Noted.” Her made drink is slid on the countertop. “Would you mind helping me with some of these? I left my wand at the booth.” Stella flicks her wand and levitates a couple of beers before they slip through Al’s fingers and they weave their way through the crowd to the booth.

“What took you so long?” Dom grumbles, snatching her vodka cranberry out of Al’s left hand, causing him to yelp.

“Well, I found someone at the bar who ordered a Cosmopolitan, which caused some extra wait time. Also, not my fault you all are alcoholics.”

Stella slides into the only empty spot, which happens to be next to James, who snorts. “A Cosmopolitan? Really?”

Jasmine, who is sitting on the other side of him, slaps his arm. “Hey, don’t hate. Cosmopolitans are amazing.” She leans in front of James and flashes Stella a warm smile. “I haven’t seen you in ages, Stella. It’s great to see you!”

One can’t help but admire Jasmine Longbottom, who is 3 years older than Stella. She was a fellow Hufflepuff back in her Hogwarts days and was even Head Girl. Besides having a smile that’s so incredibly infectious, she’s one of the most genuine girls that Stella’s ever met, and this is coming from someone who didn’t even know her well. It initially shocked Stella when she found out that her and James share a special bond, since she’s so soft and he’s so loud. But after getting to know James, Stella started to understand. They balance each other out. There were always whispers in the hallway about whether or not they would ever get together, but there wasn’t ever any moment for that rumor to come to fruition. 

Stella smiles back, “It’s good to see you too. All of you. I hope I’m not intruding.”

Louis waves her off, “You’re not, have no fear. We just try to get family together before the first day of Hogwarts, or those who are legal at least, but it’s a smaller outing this time.”

James grumbles, taking a swig of his beer. “I would be more annoyed that less people showed up if we weren’t seeing these fuckers till Christmas, but luckily, Vicki’s wedding will unite us in a month.”

“Were you on a date?” Rose asks, curious. “I don’t think any of us make it a habit to drink on Sunday nights, unless you’re a professional Quidditch player.” She snickers as James shoots her a look.

Stella snorts, “Absolutely not. I was interviewing someone. Not quite sure why he chose here out of all places, but I’ve been in weirder situations.”

“Besides,” Dom adds on dryly. “She’s dating Cunningham.”

James side eyes Stella with a worried look, but she’s not fazed. “Actually, no. Not anymore.” Dom’s eyes widen, and she opens her mouth to apologize, but Stella stops her with a small smile. “It’s fine. Really. You didn’t know.”

“I saw the article you did on James for the Prophet last week,” Louis says, switching the topic. “Bloody brilliant writing, Stella.”

Stella, still not completely comfortable with being praised about her work, decides to take the semi sarcastic route. “Thank you, Louis. Good thing my subject wasn’t boring, then I would’ve had to actually use my writing skills to make the article interesting.”

Dom smiles mischievously. “You know, for a Hufflepuff, you’ve always been much more unfiltered than the rest of your house.”

“Actually, the Sorting Hat thought the same thing,” she admits.

James nods thoughtfully, “I do remember you being up there for an awful long time.”

Why the hell would he remember that? Stella thinks. But she sees the confused looks around the booth and explains, “It was between Hufflepuff and Slytherin.”

Rose’s mouth drops open, “That actually happens? They’re like, practically the opposite.”

“But not really though,” Al points out. “Slytherin values ambition, and a majority of that comes from loyalty, which is part of Hufflepuff’s mantra. And Hufflepuffs are generally kind to everyone, but if you really wrong them, they can get as cruel as Slytherins.” He nods to Jasmine, “I mean, look at Jaz here. I’m pretty sure there are still glass shards in that corridor from when Davies fucked with her.”

“Well, that could’ve been avoided if he hadn’t not just pretended he was in love with me, but with three other girls before me,” Jasmine rolls her eyes. “All within the same month too, idiot. If you’re gonna try to pull that off, at least do it over a year.”

“7th year, right?” Stella asks Al, Rose and Louis, becoming more comfortable by the second. “Excited? Scared? Don’t give a shit and ready to get out? I was all three.”

“NEWTS and job applications? Yeah, I’m real excited,” Al snorts, placing his arm on the top of the hair behind Dom. 

“Scor and I need to start figuring out if we want to live together or not,” Rose rolls her eyes. “He says that he’ll figure it out, but he’s just being stubborn. We all know I’m the one who’s actually going to be looking at places.”

Ah, of course. Arguably the couple of the generation, Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley. It’s almost too cliche, to be honest. Fathers who were rivals in their school days with their kids falling in love with each other years later. She doesn’t quite believe in true love, maybe she never did, but seeing the younger couple around Hogwarts always brought a smile to her face. Only Rose could refer to the future of her relationship so casually, because there’s a 99% chance they’re going to get married. 

“Speaking of, where are your significant others tonight?” Dom asks non-committedly, more focused on the olives in her martini. 

Stella’s eyes light up, “Oh!” She turns to Al, “You and Crystal finally figured your shit out?”

Rose and Scorpius may have been the couple of the generation, but the will-they-won’t-they narrative of Al and Crystal Malfoy was always something that Stella smiled at when she observed them. The Malfoy twins were quite the talk of the school when they first came to Hogwarts, especially after they were both placed in Gryffindor. Stella’s older brother, Oliver, is actually engaged to Saffron Greengrass, who is Scor and Crystal’s cousin, so technically, Stella will be related to the Malfoys. She only sees that side of the family once in awhile though, usually during Christmas, when Stella tags along with her brother and future sister-in-law to the Greengrass / Malfoy side of the celebrations. 

Those are always interesting. But that’s a story for another time.

James cackles as Louis spills some of his firewhiskey from snorting. When he stops sputtering, he grins. “Wow, even Stella knew about it, and she wasn’t even in our house. Or our year!”

Al rolls his eyes, but there’s a ghost of a smile on his lips at the mention of his girlfriend. “Yeah, but she’s practically related to them, remember? She gets a pass.”

“Merlin!” Rose’s eyes widen, “I completely forgot that your older brother is the infamous Oliver Wong.”

Stella snorts, “I wouldn’t go that far. He’s alright at best.” She then turns to Al, “I’m going to be honest, I didn’t think you would ever figure it out. The whole Crystal situation, I mean. Scratch that, I had faith that you would figure it out. I didn’t think you’d ever do anything about it.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Al asks, playfully narrowing her eyes. 

She pokes some fun at him, “For a Gryffindor, you’re not the bravest.”

“Oh yeah?” Al’s eyes practically sparkle as he smirks. “Name one time you’ve been brave, Estelle.”

For the second time that night, she thinks back to her previous relationship. She may not be a Gryffindor, but jumping into that relationship was one of the bravest things she’s ever done, because she’s the one who initiated it, not Sean Cunningham, who was a Gryffindor himself. 

She was also the one who ended it. 

James, noticing Stella mood dip, swoops in with an easy smile, “Al, she’s a Hufflepuff, remember? Bravery isn’t their MO.” She shoots him a thankful smile and he nods back, as Al and Rose begin a debate on who is the braver one (“it’s obviously Rose. She didn’t wait 6 years before asking her crush out”). Louis got a blow to the head for that one. 

James leans back and observes the scene in front of him. He rarely gets to see Jasmine anymore, especially after she left Hogwarts and even now, when her Healer schedule doesn’t line up with his professional athlete schedule. Seeing her laugh and finally let her hair down for an evening makes him happy. She works long hours at the hospital, and even though she constantly assures him that she loves it, he still worries. He also knows that she’s been going through a rough patch with her boyfriend at home, but he trusts that if things get really bad that she’ll talk to him. Though he just saw his family two days ago at their annual cousin get together they have before the school year starts, he cherishes any time he has with Dom, Rose, Al and Louis, especially now that he’s out of school.

And then there’s Stella. 

He had actually seen her earlier while she was in the middle of her interview and had almost interrupted to say hello, but stopped himself when he recognized her professional demeanor and the notepad and recorder in front of her. From time to time he had found his eyes drifting towards her. When Al had volunteered to get drinks, he had watched his brother and Stella interact. He could tell that she had been initially a bit nervous crashing their family outing, but minute by minute her charismatic self won everyone over, and she began telling stories of her own. 

James has been told by many that he’s charming, but Stella truly gives him a run for his money. She has the uncanny ability to be able to connect with anyone within a matter of minutes, and while she can comfortably carry a conversation with a brick wall, she is simultaneously a great listener. James can’t help but just sit back and admire how well she gets on with his family, considering he knows that she had really truly only had conversations with him and Dom before.  
He gets it now, why she’s so good at her job. He thinks that he would spill all his secrets in one night to her if he didn’t know any better. 

He starts to see people’s drinks emptying out, and puts his hands on the table, “Alright, one more round, and then we’ll call it a night. Don’t want the new 7th years to puke on their last ride back.”

Stella immediately slides off the chair, letting James get out. “I’ll come with you. I promised Al I would get the next round.”

“Absolutely not,” James waves her off. “You’re the guest. I got them.”

She follows right behind him and shoots him a look, “Nice try.” She pushes past him and pretends not to notice him following her. She recites all of the drinks she saw on the table to the bubbly bartender, though she switches her order to a butterbeer.

He raises an eyebrow as they slide onto barstools to wait for their drinks, “Impressive that you remembered all that.”

She snorts, “I went to school with most of you, therefore, I was at most of the same parties. Your drink preferences haven’t changed that much.”

He observes her again, as she turns around in her seat and scans her eyes on the other people in the bar. He often found himself more than tipsy at a lot of those parties she mentioned, but he wasn’t so intoxicated that he had never noticed Stella at those parties. At every party, she had mingled and talked and laughed with everyone. One could often find her gently pulling a drink out of someone’s hands, unashamedly busting it out on the dance floor, or acting as a crutch as she led someone to their room or to one of their friends. Often, she could be found doing all three in a night. Even with her constant presence at the parties, James doesn’t think he’s ever seen her drunk enough to lose control. 

Except that one time when she danced on a table. But even then, she seemed in a stable state of mind despite the mixed drinks he had seen her chugging. He briefly wonders why she had chugged instead of sipped that night. It could’ve been because she just wanted to let loose like most teenagers, but with Stella, it’s always something more. 

He decides to just go for it, “That night in 7th year, after Hufflepuff won.” She casts her glance at him casually, despite the random change of subject. “What happened?”

Stella nods as though this isn’t a weird and random question. “You’re asking why I actually decided to not measure how much I was drinking?” She doesn’t wait for him to nod before continuing. “Sean and I were fighting right before that game. Maybe that’s why he was shit that day and we won. Sorry about that.”

He shrugs. The scouts still ended up seeking him out after the game anyways, so he places little blame on Cunningham. “Those happened often? The fights?”

If she notices James prying, she doesn’t seem to notice or care. “Not really. But I look back now and just realize that I mostly didn’t fight back when I could’ve because it would’ve been exhausting to fight with him. Guess that should’ve been one of the first red flags. I didn’t even feel comfortable fighting with him.” She looks at him a bit sadly, but still with a smile on her face. That’s another thing James has noticed. Stella Wong always seems to be able to have a smile on her face, even when she’s sad.

“You can’t blame yourself for something like that. Tunnel vision is a thing when you’re in love.”

Stella can’t help but snicker, “What would you know about love, James? ”

He smirks, and for a moment, Stella feels like her 16 year old self again. The one with the massive crush on him. “Fair. But you’re forgetting that I’m surrounded by couples everyday. I’ve picked up on a few things.” His smirk softens into a smile. “I told you at Petals that I would always be here if you wanted someone to rant to, and I meant it.” The bartender comes back with half of their order, turning red when James winks at her in thanks. She can’t blame her. Two years ago Stella herself might’ve reacted similarly. 

She props her chin on her right palm with a small smile and James can’t help but notice how warm her brown eyes look in the limited bar lighting. “What happened to you? 5th year James would’ve never had an emotional conversation with me willingly.”

He shrugs, an easy smile gracing his lips. “I must’ve gotten soft or something.” He clears his throat, “I forgot that you’re related to the Malfoys.”

“My brother is going to be married to one of their cousins. I hardly think that counts.”

“Who knew that the rambunctious, charismatic, brilliant, loud Oliver Wong would settle down with the quiet, sarcastic, striking, somewhat terrifying Saffron Greengrass?”

Stella laughs at James’s face, no doubt thinking of some specific memory that causes him to call her brother’s fiancee scary. “Saf is not terrifying, so I don’t know what you’re going on about.”

James blinks, “The fact that you call her Saf proves even more than you literally get along with everyone. I think she kissed me once and her glare afterwards made me think that I had done something wrong.”

Stella narrows her eyes at him, “She’s three years older than us, James. How in the world did you get her to kiss you?” Has this boy kissed everyone she knows except for her? 

“Surprised?” James teases then shrugs. “It was to make an ex jealous during one of those bloody Ministry holiday parties. Not a big deal.”

“And she chose you?”

“Must’ve been the best option around.” Stella shoves his shoulder harshly, making him laugh. The rest of their drinks arrive and Stella drops the proper amount of galleons into the bartender’s hands before they levitate the drinks back to their booth. Stella knew her future sister-in-law well enough to know that she was picky with who she chose to surround herself with (Merlin only knows why and how Oliver made the cut). Even something as simple as a one time snog was something that Saffron Greengrass thought meticulously about. 

She thought she had him all figured out. What other things does Stella not know about James? 

This last round is quicker once everyone realizes it’s getting late and they all have their own lives to get back to in the morning. After about 20 more minutes, hugs and farewells are exchanged and Stella can only blink when James, Louis and Al all part with a friendly kiss on the cheek as well. James used to smack them on her to annoy her, but she has rarely received kisses on the cheek from male friends.

Stella flits out of the bar first, wanting to give the family some privacy to say their goodbyes. James’s eyes are on her all the way until she’s out of sight. 

Al notices his brother’s lingering eyes, and mutters quietly under his breath, “She’s quite something, isn’t she?”

“She’s always been like that,” James replies automatically.

“One that got away?”

He waves his brother off, “Nah, I’ve never liked her like that.”

Jasmine, who has been listening in, raises an eyebrow. “Really?”

“What do you mean by that?” James turns to his childhood friend, confused. 

She smiles lightly, “Eh, nothing really. You two just go back and forth so naturally.”

“We had pretty much every single class together 5th year,” James grabs Jasmine’s bag and hands it over so she won’t forget it. Again. “Studied together for OWLs and stuff. Got to know each other pretty well.”

“I’ve always liked her,” Everyone whips their head to Dom in bewilderment, who simply shrugs. “What? Just because I’m a Slytherin you all think I’m incapable of liking people? Stella’s just...Stella. There’s no one else like her.”

James almost wants to groan, because it’s so fucking true. 

“Ever thought of asking her out, James?” Rose asks. “She seems to be able to deal with your annoyingness, which is a feat in itself.”

He shrugs almost a bit sadly. “Nah, she liked me for quite a bit during 5th year, but not anymore, I don’t think. Missed my chance, I guess. And she’s changed.”

“In a bad way?”

He shakes his head and looks Louis straight in the eye, clapping him on the shoulder. “No. Good. Definitely good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!! hope you're doing well. thank you always for reading!! feel free to leave a comment about your favorite part, what you hope to see, or really anything. i'm always down to chat.
> 
> UPDATE i have also made a tumblr specifically for my two fics!!! if you want to put faces to names or just wanna chat, come hit me up at inspirationstationetc.tumblr.com
> 
> much love,  
> katrina xx


	3. three

September 13, 2024

~*~*~ 

“Stella.”

“Yeah?” Stella replies to her supervisor, eyes and mind focused on the paper in front of her, scanning for possible edits.

“For the Forbach article, did you end up talking to Malfoy?”

The Forbach article Cara is referring to is about a new plant that someone by the name of Shannon Forbach created that could possibly be a solution to heal Dragon Pox more efficiently at a lesser cost. Stella has been working on this article for a couple days now, and it’s about to get published. Cara must be reading it over right now. The Malfoy she’s referring to is Draco Malfoy, who is the Healer-In-Charge of one of the ward’s at St. Mungo’s. 

If she didn’t know the Malfoys on a personal level, she’d be a bit surprised too. She likes Draco though. The fact that he’s saved her ass on being her go-to St. Mungo’s contact for stories (except this time, ironically) paired with his often amusing observations during family gatherings puts him on her good list. 

Though to be fair, most people are on Stella’s list of people she likes until they give her a reason not to be. Even an ex-Death Eater. 

Stella looks up across her desk and shakes her head, “I couldn’t get to him. Should I try to reach out again?” 

Cara bits her lip in thought, “We’re a bit tight on time, and I know he’s really busy. Maybe another Healer? I think it would be beneficial to add another medical expert voice into the article.”

Stella nods understandingly, rapidly scanning her mind on who she could talk to last minute. “Hmm. Picker?”

“Away on holiday,” Cara replies automatically. “Aoife is friends with her daughter.” An idea pops up in Stella’s head, and Cara can tell. “Spill.”

“Jasmine Longbottom. I don’t think she works in that ward though.”

“She’s smart. Get her. You have her contact information?”

She shakes her head, “No, but I know someone who does. We need this for tonight, right?”

Cara sighs, “Yep, which is why I’m putting you back on this until it’s done.”

Stella nods, handing her the piece of parchment she was reading. “I was just about done looking this over anyways.” She stands up, “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“Where are you going?” Cara asks, raising an eyebrow. 

“To get a tea and wait for a response,” Stella calls out as she briskly walks to the front door. Cara just shakes her head and goes back to her work. As long as that article is finished and ready to be in print by the time she gets out of here in a couple of hours, she won’t question her young editor’s practices. In the past half year of mentoring her, she’s come to learn that the 18 year old spends an obscene amount of money on London Fogs. Before Stella steps out the door, she halts and shoots her intended target a text.

// Hi. forgive the randomness of this, but i need to talk to you ASAP. let me know when you have a break today. // 

Stella starts on her short journey to Petals to grab herself a tea and as she’s putting her phone back in her bag, it buzzes.

// I have about an hour of free time. Need me to come by to the Prophet Headquarters? // 

That was fast. She blinks a couple of times before typing back a response. She wasn’t actually expecting to see James in person.

// Oh no, don’t worry. It’s not that urgent. I just wanted to ask you for someone else’s contact info. //

// It’s not that big of a deal. Just finished at Puddlemere. You got time to meet at Petals? //

She can’t help but snort to herself. // Was literally just about to head there. See you soon. //

At Puddlemere Stadium, James lets out a small sigh of relief as he walks out of the locker room. Perhaps he’s lucky that Stella is a person who goes with the flow. He really needs some fresh air before going to his next destination.

Why the hell would Ted trust him to handle wedding things?

Stella walks into the semi-busy cafe/florist shop. Luckily, there’s no one waiting in line and Beth, the owner of the shop, immediately rushes over to the counter once she sees Stella.

“Hi Stella, dear! Busy day at the Prophet?”

She smiles warmly at the older woman, “Not too busy, Beth.”

“Well, it’s always nice to see you. A large London Fog coming right up!”

“Could you add a large black coffee to that, please?” Stella asks, fishing around her purse for her wallet. If James could order for her last time, it was the least she could do.

Beth’s eyes light up as she prepares the tea, “Meeting someone?”

Stella shrugs, “Kind of. For work”

“But someone who drinks plain black coffee, dear?” Beth looks at her, skeptical as Stella snickers. 

“I may have a shit taste in coffee, but at least I don’t let them deter my friendships.” Stella looks behind her shoulder to see James come up beside her. He’s wearing a light blue button down and khaki pants, something awfully formal for a regular day of a professional athlete. He doesn’t look at Stella, focusing on Beth instead with a winning smile. “Hi there. I’m James.”

Beth looks at him fondly, “Beth. I see your family members who work at the Ministry here all the time. It’s nice to finally meet the professional athlete.”

James chuckles, “Molly’s the athlete. I’m simply following in her footsteps.” He pulls out his wallet, but Beth waves it away.

“Stella’s got them already, sweetheart.”

James just raises an eyebrow at Stella, who’s smirking. “Nice try,” she says. “You got me, I got you. Go grab us a table before they all fill up.”

He nods with a small smile, “Yes, Ma’am.” He turns back to Beth, “It’s nice to meet you, Beth.”

Stella drums her fingers on the table as she waits for Beth to finish making their drinks. As Beth puts them on the counter, she stops Stella with a look. “What?”

“Oh, nothing.” Beth gives Stella a knowing look, “For work?”

Stella rolls her eyes, knowing where this is going. Beth is basically her grandmother at this point. “Yes, Beth. For work.” She grabs the drinks with a sickeningly sweet smile. “Thank you for the drinks!” Beth chuckles and waves her off as Stella walks over to James. “Hi. Listen, I really appreciate you coming, though you really didn’t have to.”

James shrugs, “I had time.”

She takes a sip of her tea, “I have an article due tonight and I need to talk to a Healer. I was wondering if you could give me Jasmine’s contact info?”

“You don’t have it already?” James asks, surprised, taking out his phone and clicking through for a couple seconds before sliding it over to Stella. 

Stella quickly copies it down before answering him, “Why would I?”

“I just assumed you had a lot of Healer contacts for your articles.”

“I’m not as established or renowned as you think I am, James.” She chuckled, “I’m only 18. And, I usually go to Healer Malfoy, but he was too busy this time around.”

James leans back in his chair, looking at her curiously. “Scor’s dad? So you have the contact information for one of the Healers-In-Charge0, yet not for Jaz?”

Stella waves him off, “I’m about to be related to him. Call it family connections.” She scans his attire again, taking note of the tense expression on his usual-carefree face. “Alright. I got some time. Lay it on me. What’s going on with you?”

James blinks, “There’s nothing going on.”

“So you’re telling me that you’re dressed up formally today just for fun?” She asks, skeptical. Her demeanor softens as she watches James fidget. “Out with it,” she prods gently. 

“My cousin’s been on my ass about wedding planning.”

“And she asked you for help?” Stella asks bluntly. 

He snorts, “No. Well, Vic didn’t. Ted did. I’m the Best Man. And Vic has to go along with it.”

Stella’s eyebrows shoot up her forehead, “And he’s asking you to help him with the biggest wedding of the year?”

“It’s not the biggest wedding of the year.”

“Bullshit,” She deadpans. “I get that you’re like pseudo brothers and all, but surely Professor Lupin knows better than putting you in charge of anything.”

He shrugs, “Well it’s either me or Louis. He’s the other Best Man. And Louis is in school right now, so Dom and I are joining Vic for a couple of appointments today. Molly too, though I think she’s joining us a bit later. She’s Maid of Honor with Dom.”

Stella lets a laugh slip out, “You and Louis? Lupin sure does have questionable taste.”

“Well, who would you have chosen?” He can’t help but relax a bit and smile. Stella has an uncanny ability to make every situation comfortable.

“Your brother, to be honest.” Stella laughs at seeing James’s playful eye roll. “At least Al seems to have some sense in him. For a Gryffindor, anyways.”

“Exactly how many members of my family do you know?” James asks curiously. 

“Your family isn’t exactly small,” she points out. “I felt like I saw at least one Weasley a day back at school. Besides the ones in our year, I talked to your brother once in awhile. I shared classes with Rose and Louis a couple of times too. These days though, there’s only one bothering me from time to time.” She smiles mischievously, causing James to laugh. “So what exactly is on the bridal party’s agenda today?”

He sighs, taking a sip of his (disgusting) coffee and running his hands through his hair. “Cake tasting? Wine tasting? Both? And then final suit fitting later on? Honestly, I have no fucking idea. Really hope the wine tasting is first. I need some bubbly in my system to not kill Dom today.”

Stella observes him, amused. “You two don’t get along?”

“We’re family,” he answers absentmindedly. “We all get along. Dom and I just tend to bicker a lot. Molly made us promise to not kill each other before the wedding. And before you ask, yes, that was a legitimate worry.”

“How is she? Molly, I mean.” James’s eyes flicker to his coffee, and Stella knows she’s crossed a line. “Sorry, that’s personal. You don’t have to answer that.”

She’s right, it is personal, but James can’t help but let a smile slip at the apologetic look on her face. “She’s okay. She’s been throwing herself into a lot of the wedding planning to distract herself.” He pauses, not sure if he wants to go any further, and she immediately understands. 

“So, a wine tasting, cake tasting and trying on some suits? Surely that won’t be that bad.” 

He gives her a look that immediately makes her realize that she’s wrong, “Vicki may be one the nicest people I know, but she is downright terrifying right now with the wedding being a month and a half away. She gave me the assignment for today to figure out if white roses or peonies would work better for the center pieces. Why the fuck would she ask me that?” Stella can’t help but chuckle in amusement as James tugs his hand through his brown locks. “They all look the same, but if I ever told Vicki that she would have my head.”

“Where’s the wedding?”

“It’s at this place called Shell Cottage,” he leans back in his chair. “It’s where Vic, Dom and Louis grew up with my Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill. They have a private beach attached to it and it’s probably one of my favorite places in the world.”

Stella smiles, visualizing the beauty of a beach wedding. With what little she knows about Victorie and her former professor, it seems perfect for them. “That’s going to be a pretty wedding.”

“Yeah, it will be,” James relaxes into a small smile. “So yeah, I couldn’t get out of these appointments today because we had a short practice to rest for the game tomorrow.” He pouts, “If I can’t use my job as an excuse to get out of family things, then what is it all for?”

She snorts, “I’m surprised that the professional athlete has time off at all. It’s nice to know that you’re just like us normal folk.” She jokes, and he knows it’s a joke, but a shadow casts over his face briefly and Stella knows that she’s crossed a line. Again. 

Maybe it would be beneficial sometimes for her to have a filter.

But what Stella doesn’t know is that James likes how unfiltered she is. And while sometimes it can be overbearing, it’s such a breath of fresh air. He’s not sure if he’s met anyone in his life who is so unapologetically herself no matter who she’s around. He knows she rarely means any harm by her comments, even if a bit abrasive and impulsive. 

He’s surrounded by a lot of surface level interactions these days.

“Is it normal people folk behavior to want to throttle the bride and groom-to-be before they even exchange their vows?” James asks, and immediately the tension dissipates again as Stella lets out a laugh. 

She shrugs, “I mean, I’d imagine, though Oliver and Saf haven’t even thought about their wedding yet. I want to throttle Oliver all the time though, so it wouldn’t be a change for me.” She sighs, knowing that unlike James, she actually has work to get back to. “I’d love to keep hearing you complain about your Best Man duties, but I gotta try to get a hold of Jasmine. The article is due tonight.” 

James nods and smiles slightly, “Can you believe it? Did you ever imagine that we’d actually have our jobs during our 5th year?”

“Professional athlete and journalist?” Stella notes, pushing her chair back against the floor. A pensive look comes across her face, the same look James had seen on her when she was trying to understand a concept in Potions. “Somehow, it seems like we’re both right where we’re meant to be.” James blinks at her crypticness, but before he can ask her to elaborate, she grabs her half-empty cup. “Thanks for helping me out. I’ll see you around?”

All James can do is nod again, making sure to add a small smile so she doesn’t see how much her last comment affected him. “Yeah. It seems that we keep running into each other anyways.”

“You didn’t have to see me this time,” she reminds him playfully. “A text would’ve sufficed.” She doesn’t wait for a witty response that she knows is coming because honestly, they could do this forever. “Enjoy your shitty coffee and don’t get killed by your cousin.”

And with that, he watches Stella leave the door for the second time in three weeks, wondering why the actual fuck he keeps running into her. Or more accurately, why the fuck he wants to keep running into her. 

~*~*~

Later that evening, Stella is writing in her journal when the floo in her flat comes alive. She looks up from the couch to see Astrid, brushing ash off her shoulder as she puts her suitcase down.

“When’s the last time you cleaned this up?”

Stella rolls her eyes, “I’ve been having to cook for the last three weeks when you usually do, so apologies that the floo that we rarely use is a bit dirty.” Astrid just scoffs before practically jumping on the couch and burying herself into Stella’s side, to which Stella grunts and reluctantly as she wraps her arms around her best friend. Astrid works at the Ministry under the Department of International Magical Cooperation, which means she often travels. Sometimes, Stella misses her best friend and flatmate while she’s away on business. 

If someone else was a part of Stella’s very soul, Astrid Fuentes would be that person, and vice versa. They grew up next door to each other, and Astrid’s family practically became Stella’s once her own family life went haywire. Astrid’s father and Stella’s mother were two years apart at Hogwarts, both Ravenclaws. Though Astrid was sorted into Slytherin and Stella into Hufflepuff, they still remained close friends throughout their years and the whole grade knew it. They would be two peas in a pod if both weren’t so stubbornly independent. 

Somehow, even after all of these years, they still never tire of each other.

“So,” Astrid starts, pouring herself a glass of water. “What’s new?”

“In the three weeks you’ve been gone?”

Astrid eyes her best friend with a look, “Yes.”

They’ve never beaten around the bush before, so Stella lets out a deep breath, knowing that she’s about to get interrogated after she says this. “I wrote an article about James.”

“Yeah, I know that.” Astrid says, sitting down on the couch next to her and setting her water on the table in front of them. “I read every single one of your articles. How was seeing the old crush?”

Stella snorts, “It was...good?”

“Why do you sound so hesitant?”

Stella closes her journal gently. “We’ve kinda seen each other twice since?”

Well, that’s not what Astrid expected. And she’s rarely surprised by things anymore, since she has some weird sixth sense about these things. “You mean like a date?”

“No,” Stella scoffs. As if. “One of them was completely accidental. I was at Star for an interview and he and some of his family were there for a drink. And then this morning, I texted him asking for contact info for someone else for an article and we just met up at Petals for a bit.”

Astrid, having always been suspicious of James Potter, raised an eyebrow. “You had to exchange contact info in person?”

“Well, no.” She steals a sip of Astrid’s water. “He had a couple of minutes, and decided to come by in person. He had some time after practice and before some wedding appointments, I guess.”

Astrid sputters on her water, “Potter’s getting married?”

Stella snickers, “Astrid! Of course not. Victorie Weasley and Professor Lupin are. And somehow James is best man, even though he probably doesn’t have the capability to have that much responsibility.”

“You still like him?”

Stella shrugs. She would be lying to herself if she said that question hasn’t crossed her mind either. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. Besides, you know I’m still in my-”

“Post break up haze, I know. No one, especially me, is saying that you shouldn’t be.” Astrid shoots her friend a look that Stella knows all too well. “Besides, you know I never truly saw Potter’s appeal.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Stella rolls her eyes and shoves her friend in the shoulder, causing them both to smile. “Enough about me. How was your trip?”

Astrid groans, “I don’t know why they keep sending me to New York fucking City when they know how chaotic I think it is. I like the city, but New York is way too much.”

“Perhaps it’s your fault that you’re so good at your job that they send you to where all the magic happens,” Stella grins, nudging her friend’s shoulder as Astrid snorts at the good natured compliment. 

“It was good though,” Astrid continues, finishing her cup of water. “Our big presentation to MACUSA went well, though obviously I didn’t say much considering I’m still one of the rookies, but it was a good experience.”

Stella can’t help but grin, “You’ll be up there at the front one of these days. Business or international relations or whatever the hell you do is frankly all very confusing to me, but I know you’re one of the best.”

Astrid grunts at Stella puts her in a semi-headlock, “You have to say that as my best friend. That’s literally your job.”

“Good to know,” Stella quips. “I guess I’ll stop cleaning the flat too.”

“Then I’ll stop making us food. That includes all the recipes that my mom gave me from the Venezuelans, so suit yourself.”

With that, Stella jumps on her best friend, sending them both to the floor in shrieks of laughter. It’s times like these that Stella’s appreciation for Astrid bubbles up in her heart, threatening to spill out into the apartment. 

It’s times like these that Stella feels so grateful to have a friend like Astrid in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading always xx

**Author's Note:**

> hi!!
> 
> i know i know, i shouldn't be starting another story when i'm still in the midst of my other ones, but hey, when inspiration strikes, you gotta just roll with it, right?
> 
> if you're new to this little universe i've created, welcome!!! this is a sister story to my other one, 'Afterglow,' which focuses on Molly Weasley II. you don't necessarily have to read that one to read this one, but some details might be lost in translation. nonetheless, welcome!!
> 
> if you're coming here from 'Afterglow,' hello!!! i'd advise you to be aware of the dates, because the start of this story hasn't occurred in 'Afterglow' yet, if that makes sense? im trying my best not to spoil anything here (you might've noticed i kept some things super vague as not to spoil important details) and these stories will line up at some point, though this one will probably last into the timeline more, whereas 'Afterglow' will stop while this one is still going. ah now im confusing myself too. if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask for clarifications. 
> 
> as always, i own NOTHING you recognize. the title of this story belongs to Taylor Swift. highly recommend you listen to the song because it was picked for a reason ;)
> 
> thank you so much for reading, both the first chapter and this long author's note. i am forever grateful to anyone who takes time out of their day to give my writing a chance. please feel free to leave a review about the story or really anything or come find me at dancekatrina13.tumblr.com. until next time!!
> 
> much love, 
> 
> katrina xx


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